Hi There

[Heather Smith]

Hello All,
Lovely to have found this forum as I need some TLC at the moment! I have 3 beautiful rescue mixed breed terriers. 2 are 18 and one is 8. My old boy has a tumour in his leg and at first I decided not to amputate but now I am wondering if it may help to alleviate his pain. I am due to see the vet next week to discuss. He is now hobbling around on 3 legs so I think he would adjust if he survives the anaesthetic. He was diagnosed last week and likely has secondaries in his lungs. The vet said it may prolong his life by 12 months if he survives amputation. Can I ask if anyone else has been in a similar situation and what was the outcome? Many, many thanks, Heather xx

 

[JudyN]

Welcome to the forum, though I'm sorry to hear about your terrier. I've never had to make a similar decision, but can I offer my thoughts?

If he survives the op, recovers well, and has several more months of quality life (the 'quality' is very important here), then all is well and good. If he doesn't survive the op and dies under anaesthesia - well, you tried, and he didn't have a 'bad' end. So that's OK.

But the worst-case scenario is if he comes through the op well, but takes a long time to get over the op and is in pain, uncomfortable, and/or not able to do what he usually enjoys for some weeks, and then succumbs to his illness. So for me, it comes down to how likely he is to both survive from the surgery and bounce back quickly. I think I would choose to give him a few quality days (or longer if his pain can be controlled), where sausage rolls rain from the sky and he gets to do his very favourite things the whole time, and then let him go peacefully at home, rather than have to fast him before an op, take him to the vet where he may be anxious/scared, and risk a degree of suffering afterwards (if he comes through). I'm not saying this is what you should do, because you know your dog and, as I said, it's not a decision I've had to face. My thoughts are with you, whatever you decide to do.

 

[Heather Smith]

Welcome to the forum, though I'm sorry to hear about your terrier. I've never had to make a similar decision, but can I offer my thoughts?

If he survives the op, recovers well, and has several more months of quality life (the 'quality' is very important here), then all is well and good. If he doesn't survive the op and dies under anaesthesia - well, you tried, and he didn't have a 'bad' end. So that's OK.

But the worst-case scenario is if he comes through the op well, but takes a long time to get over the op and is in pain, uncomfortable, and/or not able to do what he usually enjoys for some weeks, and then succumbs to his illness. So for me, it comes down to how likely he is to both survive from the surgery and bounce back quickly. I think I would choose to give him a few quality days (or longer if his pain can be controlled), where sausage rolls rain from the sky and he gets to do his very favourite things the whole time, and then let him go peacefully at home, rather than have to fast him before an op, take him to the vet where he may be anxious/scared, and risk a degree of suffering afterwards (if he comes through). I'm not saying this is what you should do, because you know your dog and, as I said, it's not a decision I've had to face. My thoughts are with you, whatever you decide to do.

Thankyou so much for your kind words Judy. Helps me put things in perspective. He has to be sedated heavily just to go to the vet or allow me to clip him so would be mega stressed keep going back to the vets repeatedly.

 

[JudyN]

Ah, the poor lad

I say poor - he's reached a fantastic age and has had you to give him a wonderful life

 

[Flobo]

Hi, I am also really sorry to hear of your situation... I would have to agree with the perspective judy has given you for sure, also I would take into account the fact they are concerned about secondaries in his lungs, his stress at the vets and his amazing age...
For me, I believe there is of course a time and a place for surgery (and this is radical surgery) and there equally is a time and place for palliative care... wishing you all the best at this difficult time x

 

[Hemlock]

I agree with JudyN and Flobo, but nobody knows your dog like you do. Often it helps to get another point of view, and that consolidates what you feel in your heart, so I hope we have been of help, whatever you decide.

 

[Heather Smith]

Thank you for your replies. I feel calmer now and have decided to give him as nice a time as I can (what's new?). I have never lived such a long time with one dog and we are so bonded it will be an enormous wrench.

 

[JudyN]

We'll be here for you if you want to cry, rant, or just tell us all about him - everyone here understands how hard it can be xx

 

[Hemlock]

Yes - please feel free to 'talk' to us any time. Hugs.